Circular stocking machine and method for obtaining draw-stitch patterns thereon



June

1961 FERRAGUTI 2,987,898

CIRCULAR STOCKING MACHINE AND METHOD FOR OBTAINING DRAW-STITCH PATTERNS THEREON Filed June 29, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 13, 1961 L. FERRAGUTI 2,987,898

- CIRCULAR STOCKING MACHINE AND METHOD FOR OBTAINING DRAW-STITCH PATTERNS THEREON Filed June 29, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Away/7 A u/@/ PEPE/46' ur/ United States Patent CIRCULAR STOCKING MACHINE AND METHOD.

This invention relates to circular knitting machines of the axially-opposed double-cylinder type with two or more feeds, which are used in the manufacturing of stockings with Jacquard-like patterns composed of draw stitches, and is particularly concerned with a method and a device that enables one to obtain a regular loop on such machines.

It is known that a circular machine, for example one of the double feed type, knits two courses of loops at each revolution and that for obtaining a draw-stitch pattern the two feeds are threaded with threads of different colours and the patterning needles are caused to knit only in one feed or in the other.

While the patterning needles knit in one feed only, the

needles that do not execute a pattern, knit in both feeds,

so that to obtain a regular loop it is required to draw, with the patterning needle, a loop of an almost double length.

Similar considerations are also valid, of course, with respect to machines of the multiple feed type, for example with three or more feeds.

An object of this invention is to provide a method, wherein, in order to obviate the drawback referred'to, the stitch of the patterning needle is elongated by the quantity required, so that the thread never need be stretched for elongating the loop.

A further object of this invention is to provide -a device for carrying out this method on circular stocking machines with two or more feeds, wherein for lengthening the stitch the needle-carrying slider and the selector, i.e., the patterning member, do not co-operate together by push alone as is the case with the known methods, but are hooked together so as to be able to act upon one another also by pull. The engagement should preferably provide a certain play, in order to enable the slider and the selector to move with a certain freedom without interfering with one another. The selector has, in addition to the patterning butt, a butt that travels in special cam paths and pulls or pushes the slider.

An embodiment of the device according to the invention applied in a circular stocking machine of the double feed type is shown by way of example on the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section showing the wall of a needle-carrying cylinder with a selector and a needlecarrying slider, as well as the pattern drum which operates the patterning levers;

FIGURE 2 shows apart a selector and a slider;

FIGURE 3 shows a development of the cams of the upper cam section with which cooperate the butts of the sliders;

FIGURE 4 shows the patterning of selector levers;

FIGURE 5 shows the development of the cams of the lower cam section with which cooperate the lower butts of the selectors; in the FIGURES 2, 3, 5 the members occupy positions corresponding with each other;

FIGURE 6 shows a piece of knitted fabric made by the method and device according to the invention.

In FIGURE 1, 1 is the base of the machine, carrying the mechanical members required for forming the loops; 2 is the pattern drum rotating about its vertical axis and controlling the patterning levers 3.

4 is the cylinder with the sliding selector bars 5 mounted on it, each of which constitutes a selector provided with a knitting butt 6 for engaging with the cams provided on the lower cam section 7, and also a pattern butt 8 co-operating with the patterning levers 3.

Over the selector bar 5 is disposed a slider 9 which carries the needle 10 and is able to be connected with the selector bar 5 by its hooked portion 11 which engages with an inversely hooked portion 12 of the selector bar 5.

As previously mentioned, this engagement is arranged with a play of some millimeters, which enables the slider 9 and the selector bar 5 to move with a certain relative freedom without acting upon one another.

This freedom, necessary for the performance of some movements, is also useful to lessen the strain on the butts of the slider 9 and the selector bar 5, which latter, when it is being selected, stresses the patterning levers 3 even less.

The slider 9 has a knitting butt 13 co-operating with the cams of the upper cam section 19.

As seen in FIGURES 3 and 5, which represent the development of the cams of the upper and lower sections, the knitting butt 13 of the slider 9, when it is descended into engagement with the upper cam section 19, arrives in the channel A and cannot rise again if it is not pushed upward by the selector bar 5.

In the lower cam section (FIGURE 5), the knitting butt 6 of the selector bar 5 which is normally positioned in the upper channel B, is pushed by the slider 9 into the space C and, meeting the cam 14, rises again while pushing up the slider 9.

This is the normal path of the selector bar 5 when it does not execute the pattern.

When executing the pattern, the radial cam 16 operates, and so does the similar cam 17 for the second feed, which lines up the selector bars 5 bringing their pattern butts 8 to the height of the patterning levers 3.

If the patterning lever 3 does not operate, the selector bar 5 meets the cam 14 and rises again as before, pushing up the slider 9.

If, instead, the patterning lever 3 operates, it meets the pattern butt 8 and pushes down the selector bar 5 whose knitting butt 6, instead of raising again from the space -C along the cam 14 to the channel B, descends to the channel D after passing through the lower cam section 7, which is so arranged as to cause the needle to make an elongated stitch. Consequently, the butt 13 of the slider 9 will no longer, as in the former case, be pushed up to the upper channel of the respective band, but will traverse the channel A.

In FIGURES 3 and 5 are indicated by dash lines the respective paths of the knitting butt 13 of the slider 9 and of the knitting butt 6 of the selector bar 5 when the pattern is being executed.

The knitting butt 6 of the selector bar 5 meets then with the radial cam 18 which makes it rise in the channel E, whereas the knitting butt 13 of the slider 9, owing to the play in the engagement between selector bar 5 and slider 9, continues to traverse the channel A. The butt 6 of the selector bar 5 meets then with the cam 14' which causes it to rise again up to the channel B, while pushing up the slider 9, whose knitting butt 13 returns thus to the upper channel.

The control-led elongation of the needle stitch is obtained by means of the cam 22 shown in FIG. 5, which acts on the butt 6 of the selector bar 5 and pulls the slider 9 causing it to descend to a greater distance than would be effected by the action of cam 20 of FIG. 3 on the butt 13 of slider 9. Thus, to permit the butt 13 to descend, the channel between cam 20 and cam 21 is wider than the butt 13 is high. As shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing, this is effected by the cutaway provided on the upper end portion of cam 21.

In this manner the selector bar selected by the patternracemes ing levers 3 in one feed causes the needle to execute, in this feed, a longer stitch and in the other feed no stitch at' all.

FIGURE 6 shows diagrammatically the loops obtained by the method and device according to the invention. The loops of one colour are indicated by a continuous line, those of the other colour by a dash line; the loops corresponding to the pattern are elongated relative to the others.

What I claim is:

1. In a circular knitting machine of the axially-opposed double-cylinder type with two or more feeds, a patterning drum, patterning levers operated by said drum, selectors controlled by said patterning levers, sliders carrying the needles of the machine and operated by said selectors, the engagement of said selectors with said sliders being such that said selectors and said sliders are able to act upon one another by push and by pull, each of said selectors having, in addition to the patterning butt, a knitting butt cooperating with special cams adapted to operate said selector in such a manner that the selector selected by said patterning levers in one feed causes the needle to execute, in this feed, a longer stitch and in the other no stitch at all.

2. In a circular knitting machine of the axially-opposed double-cylinder type with two or more feeds, a patterning drum, patterning levers operated by said drum, selectors controlled by said patterning levers, sliders carrying the needles of the machine and operated by said selectors, the engagement of said selectors with said sliders being such that said selectors and said sliders are able to act upon one another by push and by pull, said engagement having a certain play enabling said two members to move with a limited relative freedom without acting upon one another, each of said selectors having, in addition to the patterning butt, a knitting butt cooperating with special cams adapted to operate said selector in such a manner that the selector selected by said patterning levers in one feed causes the needle to execute, in this feed, alonger stitch and in the other no stitch at all.

3. In a circular knitting machine of the axially-opposed double-cylinder type with two or more feeds, a patterning drum, patterning levers operated by said drum, selectors controlled by said patterning levers, sliders carryingv the needles of the machine and operated by said selectors each of said selectors having a hooked portion which engages an inversely hooked portion of said sliders, the engagement of said selectors with said sliders being such that said selectors and said sliders are able to act upon one another by push and by pull, said engagement having a certain play enabling said two members to move with a limited relative freedom Without acting upon one another, each of said selectors having, in addition to the patterning butt, a knitting butt cooperating with special cams adapted to operate said selector in such a manner that the selector selected by said patterning levers in one feed causes the needle to execute, in this feed, a longer stitch and in the other no stitch at all.

4. A method for obtaining draw-stitch patterns with regular loops on circular stocking machines of the axiallyopposed double-cylinder type With two or more feeds, which comprises forming draw stitches on selected needles and controlling the elongation of said draw stitches. by means of an auxiliary cam independent of the normal loop cam, which auxiliary cam moves the selected needles in the stitch-drawing operation to an extent greater than they would be moved by the normal loop cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,019,396 Deans et al. Oct. 29, 1935 2,316,823 Thurston Apr. 20, 1943 2,717,509 Bristow Sept. 13, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 580,510 France Sept. 2, 1924 

